The invention relates to a lateral wall arrangement for laterally bounding the roller gap of a roller press having rolls supported in a machine frame, driven in opposite directions and forming a roller gap, comprising a lateral wall, an assembly device and a suspension for the lateral wall, wherein the lateral wall is supported in a spring-loaded manner by the suspension.
In roller presses for the high-pressure comminution of material to be ground, the material to be comminuted is discharged uniformly onto the roller gap of two rolls rotating in opposite directions, the material to be ground being drawn into the roller gap by the rolls and compacted there. If the compaction is very high, the material structure of the material to be comminuted fractures and forms briquette-like flakes, which leave the roller gap on the side opposite the feed side. These flakes can then be de-agglomerated with the comparatively low expenditure of energy, by which means a comminuted material to be ground can be obtained. As mentioned at the beginning, it is important for the high-pressure comminution to charge the roller gap uniformly with material to be ground, in order that the roller press does not operate as a breaker and therefore exhibit a lower comminution performance. In order to charge the roller gap uniformly with material to be ground, the material is distributed uniformly over the length of the roller gap by a discharge device. It is necessary to devise a boundary in each case at the ends of the rolls in order that the material to be ground does not fall out of the roller press at these points and this thus leads to a non-uniform discharge of material over the length of the roller gap. Such a boundary can in the simplest case be a lateral wall in each case, which each bear closely on the rotating ends of the rolls in the roller press.
However, if one or both rolls of the roller press is movable as a loose roll, in order to be able to carry out deflection movements in the event of a non-uniform discharge of material to be ground, the lateral walls must be able to follow this mobility. Furthermore, the lateral walls interfere during the regular maintenance and the cyclic changing of the rolls, which are stressed highly by wear, since the lateral walls firstly have to be dismantled and each individual dismantling step during a roll change leads to an undesired prolongation of the stoppage time.
German Laid-open Specification DE 3705051 A1 discloses a roller press in which the lateral walls are fixed by a link to the lateral walls of the material discharge device located above the latter and are supported against the ends of the rolls by an outrigger via compression springs received in clamping screws. Because of the compression springs, the lateral walls suspended on the link are capable of following deflection movements of the rolls. This type of suspension has proven worthwhile in operation but is complicated to dismantle during the regular roll change.
In German Patent DE 102007032177 B3, a lateral wall for a roller press is disclosed which is received in a slotted guide. The slotted guide permits the lateral wall to carry out a movement during the dismantling of the rolls in which the lateral wall is moved away from the end of a roll. Between the lateral wall and the slotted guide, a lever connected to the lateral wall in the manner of a rotary joint ensures that the lateral wall is locked in its operating position. However, this locking prevents the lateral wall from deflecting during operation, which means that the lateral wall can be damaged and in the extreme case can be destroyed.